UFC 168: Silva Discusses “Basic Mistakes” That Led to Weidman’s Win

It may have seemed like Chris Weidman-Anderson Silva II would never arrive, after it was announced back in summer, but here we are and it’s just a few weeks away. While more recently the MMA world has been focused on the likes of Jones-Gustafsson, Velasquez-dos Santos III and more recently GSP-Hendricks, talk about the UFC 168 headliner certainly never went away.

Of course, the December 28th rematch is going to be huge, not only because it features a rising star in Weidman taking on the legendary Silva, but because of the way their first meeting went down. Although a lot of people believe “The All American” deserves full credit for the win, the historic fight did end after “The Spider” got caught with his hands down by his waist.

So, although Silva has used similar tactics in the past, and done so brilliantly, will we see similar antics on December 28th? Well, while speaking to Sportv recently, here’s what the former champ had to say about his performance on July 6th (comments via MMA Fighting.com):

“My mistakes in that fight, and that’s the first time I’m saying this, were basic mistakes,” the 38 year-old Silva said. “I did everything I had to do except hit him. I didn’t counterattack. When I stopped with my feet parallel, I should have hit him and walked one step behind. I didn’t do that. I saw my mistakes and I’m working on that to train for this next fight.”

“It’s going to be a tough fight,” he said, “and it won’t last too long if it stays standing.”

Interesting. It certainly sounds like Silva’s combed over the footage no? It’s going to be fascinating to see how the former champ approaches the fight, and whether he comes out using a more conventional strategy. He probably won’t. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be an edge of your seat kind of night.

UFC 168 will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada, and will also feature bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey taking on Miesha Tate.